Deandi
Deandi is the name of the world in which the group's D&D game occurs, upon the continent of Roltwen. Yes, really. Stop laughing. Here's some worldbuilding. Creation Myths The Elder Gods have never told mortals from whence they came. Perhaps they hide some great secret to power there, or harbor memories of great shame or pain from it, or they could have simply forgotten after so many eternities. For all the arcane might the oldest wizards possess, after all, they are still prone to misplacing their spectacles. What those old scholars have divined for certain, however, is the World was a project of Moradin, constructing the material plane for some inscrutable reason before seemingly losing interest in it. He abandoned his creation, along with the Titans and Dwarves he'd fashioned to help him with its details, and it was left to its own devices for many millennia, during which the Titans became resentful of Moradin's abandonment of the task he'd created them for and claimed Deandi for their own, devolving slowly into Giants and Ogres, and taking the Dwarves as slaves. Eventually, for reasons unknown, Sehanine made her way into Moradin's workshop and found the world, bringing it back to her partner Corellon. Together, they set to beautifying it, creating the Elves and laying the foundation for magic. At such time, Moradin learned it had been taken and, perhaps only because he was loathe to give anything away for free, tried to take it back. The Titans he'd abandoned, however, thwarted his efforts, until the Dwarves (with or without Moradin's help) revolted against the Titans and returned to his service. By that time, Moradin had come to an arrangement with Corellon and Sehanine to share Deandi, though the feud has led to an eternal distrust between Dwarves and Elves. The commotion, however, also raised an interest in the world from the other Elder Gods, who started to lay their touch upon it. Oa, the Dragon God and chosen leader among them, decided each god or goddess should add something further to it, and created, or perhaps had brought with him from whence the Elder Gods came, the many species of dragons. Concurring, Ioun took the wild magic Corellon and Sehanine had used to reshape Deandi and codified it, bringing stability and consistency to the realm. Displeased by the change, Corellon and Sehanine created the feywild as their own realm, tethering it to the mortal sphere, so they could continue to enjoy the formless flow of wild magic. Seeing such inanity, Asmodeus created the Nine Hells and the devils in hopes that they would one day bring about order by forcing the other races to obey them. Gruumsh, in turn, laughing at such tedious order, vomited the first orcs and goblinoids onto the world. Nerull, the Old God of Death, then looked upon the crowded world in disgust and made mortal all others which had been created, that the world might not overflow or rot in perpetual, ever-sustained life. Thus, the world was made, and the Era of Emergence began. As the living that had been created found their places in it, some changed and adapted, as the lack of cooperation amongst the gods had left gaps in their creation, and here began the occurrences the gods hadn't planned for. Because of their carelessness, fate, at the time one of Sehanine's dominions, no longer controlled every aspect of the cosmos, and as chance became a determining factor in the universe, a new god was born from within the gods' creation: Avandra. Seeing the world in which she woke as a toy, Avandra created the halflings, and began traveling to explore it all. When she wandered into the feywild, she met Corellon and Sehanine, who had just announced the birth of their twin daughters: Melora and Lolth. Each inherited a domain from their parents; Melora was given control over the new changes life was making in the world, known as nature, while Lolth was given the power over fate from her mother. Seeing Avandra's chance casually thwart her power of fate, however, Lolth began to grow jealous, perceiving the gift she'd been given as less than that of her sister. Unaware of the jealousy she'd sown, Avandra continued on her way, and soon found she would not be the only God, nor Gods the only unexpected thing, to spring from the creation. The paths she found in her travels, she told to the members of the races she met, and halflings, dwarves, giants, elves, orcs, and others met for the first time. Sometimes, these meetings ended in conflict, but not always, and interbreeding began to become a more and more common occurrence. The offspring of such meetings, however, were bastard children, claimed by no patron god, and for millennia remained outcasts even among their own families. Towards the final years of the Era of Emergence, however, a handful of halfbreeds and their companions, the first adventurers, led an exodus of these unwanted children to found the First City far in the south, becoming their own new species: the Humans. And with these new facets of life came new dominions to be claimed, which were filled by the powerful first heroes who ascended to godhood: Erathis, Goddess of Civilization, and Pelor, at the time God of Outcasts. Noticing these new gods for the first time, the Elder Gods met them with a variety of reactions. Already fond of Avandra, Corellon settled down to tend more closely to the Elves, magic, and his love Sehanine, and gifted his role as God of the Sun to Pelor, allowing human civilization to become stronger through farming. Gruumsh, however, disgusted by the unprecedented order of the humans, called for their destruction. And so, brought to court with the rest of her family, Lolth saw her opportunity to repay her slights. In speaking with Gruumsh, Asmodeus, Nerull, and a number of the new Lesser Gods, Lolth guided the formation of an alliance to overthrow Oa, though it was led by Nerull. Though many hows and whens are lost to us, this began the War in Heaven, which was reflected in the material world. Oa gathered Ioun, Corellon and Sehanine to him, and Moradin equipped them for war, but even the five Elder Gods were outmatched when their opponents had called so many Lesser Gods to them, among whom were Torog, Lord of Pain, and Zehir, God of Assassins and Poison, and a mortal sorcerer named Vecna. It was Vecna who first bent the nature of arcane magic to his will in order to permit the reanimation of corpses, creating the first undead as such a cruel joke at the Gods' expense that he, too, ascended, and brought those who fell in battle on either side to fight again for Nerull's alliance. Thus, Oa's Elder Gods were forced to recruit Lesser Gods to their side as well, including Avandra, Erathis, and Pelor. At the point the war reached its zenith, two more Gods, brothers, came into being: Kord, God of Battle, and Bane, God of Conquest. Some accounts left in holy scriptures say their appearance horrified the Elder Gods; speculation says they may have known Gods of War before. Seeing them, Oa at once abandoned his battle with Nerull to swoop down upon the newly-formed pair. As battle was their domain, however, they were unstoppable, and Bane used an underhanded strike to split Oa in half from head to tail. The war may have been over at that moment, had Kord not turned on his brother. Outraged by the disgraceful tactics, Kord fought Bane back, then drove into Nerull's forces with enough power to force their retreat. In the aftermath, though he was in part responsible for Oa's death, he was accepted among Oa's followers, while Bane joined Nerull. Meanwhile, from the split corpse of Oa rose two dragons: Bahamut and Tiamat. Like the pair that preceded them, the two joined opposite sides, as Bahamut represented the honor and pride of all dragons, while Tiamat embodied their spite and greed. The end of the war, however, would be provided by a mortal, a sorceress whose name is lost, but whom pledged herself as Nerull's queen for when he ruled as King of the Gods, only to betray and banish him to parts unknown, usurping his power over death. Captured by Oa's followers just as she assumed her power, she faced a choice: have power over death alone, the process of going from life to afterlife, and not the dead, or be destroyed. Grudgingly, she accepted the offer, and became known as the Raven Queen, her power kept in check because rampant death now wouldn't add to an army of the dead at her disposal. Those who followed Nerull were subsequently banished to the fringes of the world. Torog, in slaying a number of Lesser Gods, had become trapped to live in eternal misery below the surface as God of the Underdark; Asmodeus, who had corrupted the leadership of the human empire, was sent back to his Nine Hells, leaving the first Tieflings behind; and Lolth, with her cursed Dark Elves, was cast out to find a place between Underdark and underworld. Known History Overview First Era *FE1 **The world of Deandi was created by Moradin for reasons unknown. He created the Dwarves and Titans as his assistants to craft the world. *FE232 **Moradin abandoned the world. The Dwarves were devastated, while the Titans took over the world and enslaved the Dwarves. *FE615 **After several centuries, the Dwarves revolted against their Titan masters. Led by Urist Giantsbane, they waged a decade long insurrection till Urist murdered King Ymir of the Titans. The remaining Titans were hunted down and slain: a few slipped into hidden places, falling into a deep slumber, while a handful of others fled to the far north of Deandi and created a hidden society of their own. *FE654 **The Primeval Dwarven Empire arose as the Dwarves took over the Titan's cities, spreading through these and their own underground halls to create a vast empire. *FE709 **The influence of the other gods begins to affect Deandi. Plant life and animals become more common and varied as magick spreads throughout the planet. The Fey are born in the forest-gardens of the eastern sub-continent of Dyyrows and slowly migrate to the west. *FE737 **In the high peaks of the north, Oa places the nests of his children, the Dragons. These powerful Elder Dragons spread throughout the Adamantite Mountains, some slowly changing into subspecies to adapt to the climates. *FE765 **The Elves of Dyyrows - Fey who clung to mortal forms - reach the Havsti Midlands and encounter the Dwarves. Initial interactions are abrasive, until an political insult triggers full on war between the two races. *FE774 **The war between the Elves and Dwarves is cut short with the arrival of the Dragons in the Midlands. Together, the two races drive the dragons back: both sides take captives, which eventually become two distinct slave races. *FE799 **Having recovered from the war with the dragons, the Elves set out to distance themselves from the Dwarves, splitting into several different groups and migrating across the continent in all directions. *FE820 **Ioun crafts laws for magick after the formless flow begins to harm the order of Deandi. The gods Corellon and Sehanine take offense to this, alongside some of their Elvish followers, and form the Fey Wilds, a sort of "side dimension", which they tether to Deandi. Many Elves migrate here as well, forming the first High Elves *FE841 **Asmodeus layers his plane of Hades over the world of Deandi and the Fey Wilds. Divided into the Nine Hells, twenty-seven portals (three to each Hell realm) form throughout the various continents of Deandi, spilling forth demons to bring a forced order onto the world. *FE877 **The first battles between demons and other races occur. The Dwarven kingdom of Misthaven forces the main invasion force back, while elsewhere Dyrrow's sapient flora end the invasion there as well. The demons establish a home with the Fire Barrows, but refrain from further invasion for the time being. *FE894 **Gruumsh decides to the world has fallen into too much order, thus he literally vomits the Varag progenitors out onto the land to wreak chaos. The vomitous thunderstorm creates the Uumk Bogs that many Varags begin to call home. *FE941 **Many Varags begin migrating after the Bogs find themselves slowly being overpopulated. Roughly half only make it as far as the Red Sledge Cliffs before stopping to settle into shanty towns. *FE1000 **Until this time, all races were immortal. However, seeing the Varags gross overpopulation ruining the world, Nerull struck the world with the gift of mortality, ensuring it did not soon overflow in endless, undying rot. Because of the time they had lived without death, the Elves and Dwarves retained very long lifespans. *FE1052 **After three hundreds years of godly interventions and twists of fate, Chance takes hold at last, birthing from its power the goddess Avandra. She begins to wander the world and take in its beauty. *FE1061 **Avandra grows lonely and creates the Halflings in the small hills of Bagen. Many set up homes there, while others follow their goddess on adventures. *FE1154 **The twin goddesses Melora and Lolth are born to the Fey Patron Gods Sehanine and Corellon. *FE1233 **Avandra's wanderings and tales begin to form the first highways between kingdoms, and the species begin intermingling on more friendly terms. Halfbreeds are slowly born, but are almost always outcasts among their people. *FE1476 **The races begin systematically casting out the halfbreeds, who form small settlements on their own in the far plains and forested hills. *FE1641 **The civilizations of Deandi grow and expand: the Eight Clans of the Dwarves split into the Winterheld and Serrin empires; the Fey of Dyrrows produce the eastern Osmul Confederacy, the kingdom of Feldin and the Boughs; lastly, the Varags spread trails across the continent of Rohltwen and establish innumerable shanty-towns, with the two largest at Sludgebattle and Breylock. *FE1755 **The halfbreeds - now called Humans - have become so numerable that some of the races begin to feel threatened. The Great Migration begins as the humans travel to the south, forming the First City in the Sarranidine Lowlands. *FE1862 **Powerful individuals known as 'demigods' begin to arise - some strong of their own power, others blessed by the gods. Among the first of these demigods are Erathis and Pelor, who help guide the early human government. *FE2055 **Oceanus the Seafarer leads a great exodus from Rohltwen to explore and colonize other continents. After four voyages composed of hundreds of elves, dwarves, humans and some of the more intelligent Varags, all contact with Oceanus and the colonies is lost. *FE2289 **After several centuries of warring fiefdoms and competing kings, a wise warlord named Turath arises in the First City and begins taking control of the region. Proclaiming himself as the Bael of his people, he established an empire, which expanded its influence across the continent of Rohltwen as the Jade Empire of Bael Turath. *FE2573 **Gruumsh calls for the destruction of humanity, leading to Lolth calling a secret meeting among the gods. This begins the War in Heaven: Nerull leads a rebellion against Oa, raising an army of both lesser gods and the undead. *FE2596 **Fractures develop within Fey society as the stances of the patron gods split the race apart. While the most obvious rift occurs with the development of the Drow pledging themselves to Lolth, other factions emerge as the empires begin to fall apart. *FE2623 **The Jade Empire suffers from insurrection as a false 'Bael' arises to challenge the aging Turath. This 'Bael Gajar' receives Asmodeus' blessing upon his followers, creating the first Tieflings. *FE2684 **The War of the Gods begins to wreak havoc on the natural world: volcanic activity raises of the Wall of Wrath in the west while increased earthquakes begins sinking pieces of the world, including the entire Dyrrows sub-continent. *FE2699 **The War in Heaven comes to a climax as an all out battle begins as Oa and Nerull clash, starting with the destruction of the First City and the transformations of the Lowlands into the Endless Swamp. The war at last births the war god brothers Kord and Bane, who join the fight and split when Bane murders Oa. From Oa's two halves are born the two Dragon gods, Bahamut and Tiamat, who join opposing sides like the twins. The end arrives as Nerull is betrayed by a sorceress pledged to be his queen. She banishes him to another plane and takes his place as the death god, known only as the Raven Queen from thence on. Second Era *SE1 **The Second Era begins with civilization trying to piece itself back together. The Court of the Divines and their chosen high priests bless the process, but it remains an enormous, time consuming task: the gods cannot restore all as it once was, as they are bound by certain rules of the Threads of Fate by now. *SE13 **The final vestiges of the Feyic civil war comes to an end as Melora herself casts out the final followers of Lolth, exiling them into the Underdark with their mistress and her minions. *SE37 **The Tieflings become hunted because of their planetouched blood, feared to cause a reprisal from the gods. The hunts and the excessive use of magick by their hunters, however, leads to a rise in demonic possessions and Demon invasions. The Holy Knights of Serris manage to repel these invasions. *SE45 **Attempted restoration of Bael Turath *SE102 **The Slaying of Orochi: After Oa's death in the War of Heaven, the Twin Dragon gods continually battled against one another. In one of their many spats, Tiamat birthed the greatest of her dragon children, Orochi. The eight-headed serpent spread death like a plague across the continent till at last an order of Knights, Sorcerers and Paladins led by Sarvan Berwyn managed to defeat the beast *SE195 **War of Ents and Mages *SE347 **First Great Varag War *? **The Winter Hold Invasion *? **The Immeri Imperium of the West *? **Colonization *? **Rise of the Dominion *? **Four Way War *? **Return of the Giants *? **Centaur Unification *? **The Creation of Clan Riftrender *? **The Thunder Dragon Crisis *? **Bloodstone Incident *? The First Era (FE1 - FE/ 1 - ) The Dwarven Rebellion In the most ancient times, Moradin created the world of Deandi by himself, and within it he placed two races to help him forge the world: Dwarves and Titans. These two races worked alongside their god to shape the world itself, crafting the land and forming truly massive cities for themselves across the planet. To this day, the ruins stand the tests of time, with three - Six Pillars, Misthaven and Farmesa - surviving completely intact against the wear of time. But after two centuries, Moradin grew bored with his creation, abandoning the world and leaving the two races to their own devices. For the Dwarves, this was a devastating blow to their society, as it rocked their deeply religious core and sank many communities into deep depression. But for the Titans, they saw this as their chance to inherit what their Father had given them, and established themselves as the rulers of Deandi, with the Dwarves as their slaves. For five hundred years, the Dwarves resided tightly under the Titan's rule, until at last their slavery was broken by the efforts of the valiant Urist Giantsbane. The Dwarven Rebellion lasted for ten years, till at last, with the blessing of Moradin, Urist slew King Ymir of the Titans and routed or killed his followers. The Dwarves began to establish their own kingdoms, both underground in the tunnel-halls made during their rebellion and in the ruined cities of the Titans. Under their new hierarchy of kings, led by High King Urist, the Dwarven people began to create the first kingdoms of Deandi. The Elven Incursion As the Dwarves spread throughout the world, they found that it was not the same as it had been before the war, as an unknown influence had begun altering it: magick and the Elves. This was the influence of the gods Sehanine and Corellon, who had discovered Moradin's creation and begun to toy with it as they pleased. Sprouting forth lush forests, jungles and plains, they began to weave the aura of magick throughout the planet's environment, giving rise to all manner of unexpected things. The Elves followed the work of their gods, which eventually led them to encounter the Dwarves on the plains of Rohltwen. The Dwarves were untrusting of the Elves, and this soon turned into a brief war at slight provocation. The Rise of Dragons The Migration of the Elves ? demons ? goblins ? death ? avandra and the halflings ? civilization grows, humans are born ? rise of demigods ? the founding of the Jade Empire The War in Heaven the gods rebellion The Second Era (SE1 - SE/ - ) Fractured Empire The downfall of the Jade Empire marked the end of the First Era, giving rise to the Second Era of Deandi. It was at this point in history that wars and small kingdoms became well known, as the world was no longer bound by a single ruling power: instead, each continent kept to itself, and even among the continents there was much infighting. Elvish Civil War The Third Era The Races Humans Often derogatorily called Twinborn, Hybrids or Muds, the first Humans were the bastard offspring of Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings, Giants, and even Orcs, among other bipedal races, and these contributing races are now known as humanoids. As a result, humans come in a range of shapes, sizes, colors and strengths wider than any other group collectively calling itself a race. When Erathis, Pelor, and other heroes founded their first civilization, it was simply called the Empire, but came to be known as the Empire of Bael Turath, after its ruler, at the time of the War in Heaven. Seduced by the power of Asmodeus, many of the Empire's nobility were blessed with infernal blood and became the first Tieflings. Other humans, however, overthrew them and destroyed this Empire, leaving their realms to be split between into hundreds of regions and cultures. Humans are the most prevalent race in Deandi, and the most wide-spread, as in the rest of the world. Their trade routes cross the World's Scar and across the badlands to humans in the East, and their ships sail to islands in the Far West to trade with even more humans there. Who does the trading is ever-changing, however. With the fall of the Stone Elves and their nation, the land is in flux once again, with their former allies, the Kingdom of Lochlan, rapidly filling the sudden power vacuum, while noble houses rose up on their own claiming ancient heritages as rights, or sometimes no rights at all. The identifying terms and physical qualities of humanity vary from region to region, though not enough to be labeled proper subspecies like some of the other races. Most of humanity belongs to Chondatan ethnicity, named for the central provinces of Chondata wherein humanity's First City was established. To the south, both on Deandi's southern edge and the southern continent of Arpigee, live the dark skinned Calishite people, who still inhabit and built around ancient Bael Turath bases. In the isles of the far west, the Illuska raise vast trade fleets and are ruled over by powerful monastery orders. And in the east across the World's Scar, the Osmuli people live mundane lives without much in the way of major powers, save the Harbor Theocracy far to the north and the Yarva Technocracy in the central mountain valleys. Dwarves Created by Moradin himself prior to the solidifying of the world, the Dwarves worked alongside the Titans to help the First God to craft existence. As artisans of their god, the Dwarves divided the world into eight regions and molded each one to their liking. While the Titans carved out shifted continents and raised mountains, the Dwarves formed plateaus, molded valleys and shifted sands, forming details that the massive Titans could not imagine. When Moradin first abandoned the world, the Dwarves were distraught at first. In time, they recovered from the loss of their god, viewing it as a test to see if they were capable of carrying out his will without his direction. In time, however, as the Titans took the world for their own and enslaved the Dwarves, using their precise craftsmanship to form mountains for their thrones, they learned self-reliance and first took to the underground in order to fight back, striking from where their gargantuan oppressors could not reach them. Only with Moradin's help, however, were they able to finally succeed, and thus have been a pious though independent race ever since. Today, many clans exist where once only eight divinely-ordained stood. Moradin had commanded eight great heroes of their rebellion to lead these clans, and their bloodlines have continued ever since. When Gemma Riftrender, an illegitimate daughter of Clan Silveraxe, however, established a clan of her own from her own retinue of loyal followers and redeemed exiles, however, the Ninth Clan was born, and others followed. Large holds are usually ruled by monarchs of some royal lineage, whether true or not, while more remote enclaves too far for even the nearest kingdom to aid often adopt elected Chieftains as leaders. Many dwarf settlements now lie aboveground, trading with other humanoid races, but the governing body of the great kingdoms have only one official hand on the surface: the Overlanders, a monastic order of Dwarves dedicated to the sole purpose of seeing to their peoples' affairs in the light of sun and moon. *First Clan Kingdoms **Clan Silveraxe (Dwarves of the Northern Mountains) ***Its line of kings sired by the greatest hero of the rebellion against the Titans, Urist Giantsbane, the Silveraxes are perhaps the most powerful of all the Dwarven Clans with great resources in silver and mighty armies which aid the others in times of need. Each other clan, of course, is too proud to admit this, naming themselves the preeminent, but each naming Silveraxe the second. **Clan Stronghammer(Dwarves of the Southern Mountains) ***While the mountain dwarves of the north have armies, the Stronghammers of the south have warriors. While fewer in number than most, their members are taught to be fighters first and foremost, and it's a rare dwarf who can face one of them in single combat. **Clan Coalbeard (Dwarves of the Black Hills) ***None can say if the coal this clan mines from their home was what turned their hair so lustrously black or if their ancestors merely passed the trait down. Either way, they're known for both now, and the export of diamonds besides. **Clan Ironwrought (Dwarves of the Titan Forge) ***It's no coincidence that Clan Ironwrought became known for its great skill in forging and refining, as their home, Greathearth, was built surrounding the last Titan Forge, its worldshaping primordial flame long since gone out, but replaced by fires stoked to burn constantly. It's said the Titan Forge will only grow cold when the body of the last Ironwrought does. **Clan Copperhand (Dwarves of the Crags) ***Natural partners of the Ironwroughts, the Copperhands are known for their red beards and as the finest miners in all the kingdoms, capable of finding a vein of ore as if by scent. Some scoff at this idea and say their progenitor snuck a peak at Moradin's plans for the world ages ago, and the clan has kept it as a closely-guarded secret ever since. **Clan Icebreaker (Dwarves of the Far North) ***Beyond the Northern Mountains of the Silveraxes, only ice and frozen oceans remain, hardly a place for dwarves of any other kind. But here, the Icebreakers thrive, living in the fissures of mighty glaciers and brewing wondrous ales in the snow which can sink to incredible cold without ever freezing. **Clan Pewterfist (The Lost Clan) ***According to all records, the Pewterhands were Dwarves who delved into the arts of arcane magic, and tunneled deeper into the earth than any other Clan. Too far, it seems, for the Pewterhands eventually disappeared without trace, their cities empty with nary a drop of blood nor body to hint at what happened to them. Since their disappearance, however, very few clans have openly encouraged the study of magic, turning instead to the orders of runepriests. The Gnomes are suspected to be their last remaining descendants, born of those who left the clan before it became lost. **Clan Dunebreaker (Dwarves of the Eastern Badlands) ***Rarely interacting with the other kingdoms, the Dunebreaker clan exists in the wastelands where Orcs and other goblinoids dominate. A hardy people, *Other Clan Kingdoms **Clan Riftrender (Ninth Clan) ***First regarded as renegades, denied by the Silveraxes who had supposedly lent them their first leader's claim to royal blood, the Riftrenders were the first to openly trade with surface races, and eventually became so wealthy through such trade that they could no longer be ignored, opening the way for other clans to seek legitimacy. **The Overlanders Gnomes are an interesting case amongst the races of the world. While seemingly related to the Dwarves, and often categorized as Dwarf-like, no solid evidence can be found for the Gnomes being descended from the Dwarves. Theories abound, of course - most popularly that they rose from the remnants of the lost Clan Pewterhand - but none know the true answer, not even Gnomes themselves. Having the same frame as a Dwarf, but fairly beardless and possessing large eyes and noses, Gnomes are far more gifted with sneak attacks and quests for knowledge than combat and brute force. Their culture at times appears primitive, living in small clans with no clear structure, but they are capable of learning if the opportunity presents itself. This is evident given the noted difference between the wild gnomes, those living in forests and mountain valleys, versus those who have slipped into major cities and become knowledgeable in arcane and technical ideas. Titans One of the two oldest races on the planet, the Titans were created by Moradin to work as his heavy lifters in the shaping of the world. While Dwarves would chisel out smaller things, Titans were large enough to shift entire mountain ranges and dig rivers into oceans. However, when Moradin grew tired of the world and abandoned it, the Titans lost faith in their master and claimed the world as their birthright. Enslaving the Dwarves and building massive fortress kingdoms, they ruled supreme over the land until the Dwarves, led by Urist Giantsbane, rebelled and overthrew their taskmasters. Many of the Titans were killed while others slipped into deep trances as they hid, but those that survived fled far to the north and formed a small kingdom of their own. Having been stripped of their natural connection to the earth by Moradin at the end of their war with the Dwarves, the Titans grew weaker and weaker over time, slowly shrinking in size and losing many of their natural abilities. After countless years of scraping together a life in the north, a large faction of the Titans remnants broke off and moved to attack the northern city-state of Blackrock. Pillaging the city and the surrounding region, they set up their own kingdom in the more temperate region, where people began calling them Mountain Giants. Content with a life where food was easily grown and temperature rose above freezing, the Giants remained in Blackrock without causing further troubles. A single group of knights led an attempt to retake the city, but when that failed, the elves and dwarves of the region cut their losses and left the Giants alone. After the success of the Mountain Giants, others began to leave what became known as the Frost Giant enclave. Some traveled to the eastern badlands, becoming the sun-burnt Fire Giants, while others journeyed to the west, becoming the Storm Giants of the Cracked Isles. Still others crossed the continent, either at times settling down upon discovering well hidden colonies of Titan remnants or joining and inbreeding with the local residents. It is from these two groups that the Ogres were eventually formed, distinguishing themselves significantly from their Giant brethren in looks and behaviors. Smaller and far more bestial, they tended towards brute force and strength over tactics or elemental affinities. Over time, even the Ogres began making ethnic subraces, giving rise to the cultured, magic-using Onis of the east and the simple-minded Trolls of the south. Fey The history of the fey dates back to the moment that the gods began intervening in Moradin's creation. Creating magic to beautify and shape Moradin's trimmed, ridged world, the fey were creatures of pure mana that worked alongside their gods in this task. Over time, many eventually began to take shape, and a large quantity of these became beings known in later years as elves. Whereas most fey continued to use physical forms only sparingly, preferring the option to shift into mana at will, the Elves grew attached to their new physical bodies and the unique ways in which they allowed them to interact with the world. And so they began to form a physical, material civilization, all while working towards the beautification of the world that their gods desired. By the time of the War in Heaven, the Elves had a vast network of civilizations, equal almost the Dwarves in size and outclassing them in complexity. But the War would not be kind to the fey. As the War erupted across the world, their gods were split: while most remained with their creators Corellon and Sehanine, many chose to side with Lolth and the other gods of chaos. The civil war that raged among the Elven nation was unparalleled in ferocity and bloodshed that has never been matched since. Families and friends turned against one another as cities crumbled. Even when at last the War in Heaven ended, the war of the elves continued, till at last Melora herself forced the last of the Drow into the Underdark with their mistress Lolth. The effects of the war lasted far longer though: the dark elves left their mark as they left, ceding distrust throughout the elves, to the point where the remaining fey split into three factions. A faction calling themselves the Eladrin - known to others as "Moon elves" or "High elves" - returned to the deep Fey Wilds to reside there without interacting with the outside world. Another faction, called the "Sun elves" in contrast, stayed in the physical plane and began to rebuild their lives there. A third faction, known as Stone elves for their vast architecture, formed their own kingdom separate from the Sun elves, having fled to the north to escape the constant conflict and distrust. As the Stone elves consolidated their resources and began to form a small kingdom of high towers and magitek advancement, the Sun elves spread across the continent, adapting as they went. In many places, town and forest cities sprung up, but for some the connection with nature deepened. Becoming known as the Wood elves, these groups would go off to form nameless communities lost in the forests, wander in and out of the Fey Wilds or become nomads on the plains. For another select group, cities near the sea side began to expand into the oceans themselves as these "sea elves" began to adapt their bodies with magic, eventually moving under the waves to become the Murlaan or Merfolk. Varags In time immemorial, Gruumsh vomited out the first of what became known the goblinoid races. Calling themselves Varags, they were knobby, gnarled things, prone to violence and barely able to contain their emotions and ideas. This met with Gruumsh's hatred of order, of course, but in those early days it threatened to destroy their existence: were it not for their extraordinarily high reproduction rate, the Varags would have died off in two generations and been nothing more than a footnote in the creation myths akin to Senmurvs or the Roving Mauler. Most numerous and still most prone to heavy breeding are the Goblins and their direct kin. Lithe and limber, they infest all manner of places, most commonly underground caverns, deep forests and abandoned cities. Tending to move and attack in giant swarms, they have started more than a few wars over the millenia and caused countless massacres. Indeed, the First Great Varag War was almost entirely caused and carried out by Goblins: their numbers grew so numerous that they wandered the countryside, pillaging village after village, until an alliance of humans, dwarves and Dragonborn cut them down and sent them scurrying back into their nests. The Goblins have several distinct breeds that have sprung up throughout the ages, most common of which is the Nilbog. Having become attuned to magic through one mean or another, Nilbog live within greater Goblin communities as their shamans and magicians. They are occasionally winged, twin-tailed, or otherwise possessing a unique mutation due to their enchanted lineage. Naturally skilled with magic to the level of an apprentice magician, the oldest will grow more powerful with time, though nowhere near a serious threat without their numbers. The other two common breeds of Goblins are the Bokoblins and Hobgoblins. The Bokoblins are often found within mountain caverns and valleys. Smaller and even more numerous than Goblins, they are more annoyances than true threats, and are often subject to regional hunts when they grow too numerous. The Hobgoblins, in contrast, are larger, more muscular, and more intelligent than their brethren, often filling the role of commanders when the Goblin races come together. There are also reports of Hobgoblins along the eastern coast that have adapted to living underwater: these "Koalinths", however, are rarely seen. *Orcs **Orogs **Uruks *Kobolds **Urds Dragonborn The origins of the Dragonborn lie in mystery. Humanoids beings, they only appeared after the War in Heaven, but none of the gods have ever claimed them as their own creations and the Dragonborn are none too happy to share. Some theorize they were the product of a mad sorcerer channeling the power of the Dragon Gods, but others believe they may have been a literal product of Dragon-human unions. Regardless of their origins, the Dragonborn are a very sturdy folk. Actually made of four similar races - the Aurak, Kapak, Bozak and Sipak - their nations reside mostly in the north and the west, with colonies throughout the rest of the world, particularly in the Serrated Mountains. *Dragonborn ("Aurak") **Kapak **Bozak **Sipak Halflings Created by Avandra as she awoke in the world and began to explore her powers, the Halflings are instilled with a love of the world not unlike their patron. At home with the farmlands and the earth around them, they have avoided notice from a large portion of the world for ages. With much of Avandra's whimsy, they tend to their quaint homes, content to while away their days in peace. But at times, chance calls their names, and few things endure like a Halfling's wanderlust. While Halfling adventurers and travelers remain uncommon, they appear often enough to grant them a certain level of mystique. Skilled in stealth befitting their size and build, they are well known as thieves and rogues, with a handful of scholars and mystics in their number as well. Halflings of Jardestur descent tend to reside further east in or near more populated cities, where they're often mistaken for young dwarves or short humans. While taller, lither and more adventurous than their Harvan brethren to the west, they can still be identified as Halflings thanks to their pointed ears, large feet and large appetites. Planetouched humans Originating with the War in Heaven, the first of the Planestouched beings were created when Asmodeus mixed the blood of demons into many of the officials of the Jade Empire of Bael Turath. Stronger and more naturally attuned to dark magicks, the Tieflings as they became known waged war against the rest of the empire, cracking it into pieces and sending human civilization tumbling into the dark ages alongside their Elven counterparts. As such, they became feared and hated in the years to come, going so far as to endure the Demon Hunts when Paladins sought to wipe them from the face of the planet. In time, Tieflings became accepted, though never truly trusted by the majority of the races. Evolving into two separate breeds over the years, Fendrus Tieflings embraced their devil lineage, becoming larger and stronger but exhibiting more demonic traits, such as talons, horns and occasionally wings. The Impellion breed of Tieflings, in contract, retained the agile look of humans while attuning themselves further with the shadow currents of the world's magicks. Whereas Fendrus Tieflings became powerful soldiers and warlords, Impellions would employ themselves as assassins and court magicians. Over time, other Planestouched began to arise. *Aasimar *Genasi Taurins *Centaurs *Minotaurs *Nagas *Arachnins Other races As vast a world as this setting is, there are dozens of other races with origins unrelated to the above categories or simply unknown. Having untold ages to develop, they have formed their own societies and customs oftentimes, and it is rare for them to mingle with the prime races. *Devils/Demons *Bladelings *Golems *Mongrels *Bugbears *Gellas *Istari Gods & Worship Pantheon }}" style="background-color: }; width: }" | width="33.33%" align="left" valign="top" | The Elder Gods/Primevals *Oa *Ioun *Moradin *Corellon *Sehanine *Asmodeus *Gruumsh *Nerull | width="33.33%" align="left" valign="top" | Court of the Divines *Moradin, God of Creation and Family *Ioun, Keeper of Knowledge *Corellon, God of Fey, Beauty and Magic *Sehanine, Goddess of Illusion, Love and the Moon *Melora, Goddess of Nature and Sea *Avandra, Goddess of Chance and Change *Erathis, Goddess of Civilization and Law *Pelor, Lord of the Sun and Time *Kord, God of Storms and Strength *Bahamut, God of Justice and Honor *Raven Queen, Goddess of Fate and Death *Aoskar, God of Portals *Gorellik, God of Hunting *Lakal, Goddess of Healing *Boccob Glittergold, the Gem King *Elvina the Trickster | width="33.33%" align="left" valign="top" | The Gods of Chaos *Asmodeus, God of Tyranny *Bane, God of War and Murder *Gruumsh, God of Slaughter and Destruction *Khala, Goddess of the Frost *Lolth, Patron of the Dark Elves *Maglubiyet, Lord of Orcs *Tharizdun, Creator of the Abyss *Tiamat, Goddess of Greed and Envy *Torog, God of Torture *Vecna, God of the Undead *Zehir, God of Poison |} Deities The Elder Gods came to rest at this particular point in the cosmos after fleeing someplace else—though where or what is even meant by "place", whether plane or realm or physical spot is unknown—together and created the Material Plane, from which the Lesser Gods would spring later. Though equal in power to the Lesser Gods, these entities embody concepts more basic to the universe, and thus are sure to endure longer, even after the Material Plane ends and takes their worshipers with it. The Elder Gods *Oa (deceased) **The first Dragon God, the embodiment of things both great and terrible. The hunger for power to lead, and the nobility to lead well. When he died, he was split into two halves that rose again; the noble Bahamut, and envious Tiamat. *Ioun **"I think, therefore I am." To exist is to know, and this earliest piece of knowledge manifested the God of Knoweledge, Ioun, mere moments after the long-lost First Gods came into being alongside Reality. So long as there are conscious entities capable of understanding and reason, Ioun will persist as the God of Knowledge. His are the secrets of the universe and its history, as he's seen the beginning of all things and may yet be one of the few to see their end. *Corellon **Called Corellon Larethian in full, he is one of the elves' two patron deities, the husband of Sehanine, God of the Arcane, the Fey, and formerly of the Sun. He resides now in the Feywild, tending to its creatures and touches the physical world only remotely through magic. *Sehanine **Goddess of the Moon and formerly Fate, wife of Corellon, Sehanine is known as the patron of young and forbidden lovers, sending shadows to hide their trysts. She and her husband once courted in such a way, dancing around the world as sun and moon, until her husband settled in the Feywild where they can now join each night. *Moradin **While the Dwarves believe him to be the First God, being God of Creation, his fellow deities maintain this isn't strictly true. Moradin embodies creation, not merely existing, meaning he represents the process of advancement through craft and ingenuity, not all things which have already been created. *Asmodeus *Gruumsh *Nerull (deceased) The Court of the Divines *The Court **Ioun **Moradin **Corellon **Sehanine **Melora, Goddess of Nature and Sea **Avandra, Goddess of Chance and Change **Erathis, Goddess of Civilization and Law **Pelor, Lord of the Sun and Time **Kord, God of Storms and Strength **Bahamut, God of Justice and Honor **The Raven Queen, Goddess of Fate and Death *The Dwarven Deities **'Moradin' **Boccob Glittergold, the Gem King *The Elven Deities **'Corellon' **'Sehanine' **'Melora' **Lakal, Goddess of Healing *The Halfling Deities **'Avandra' **Elvina the Trickster *The Human Deities **'Erathis' **'Pelor' **'Kord' **Aoskar, God of Portals **Gorellik, God of Hunting *The Dragonborn Deities **'Bahamut' The Gods of Chaos *Lolth, Patron of the Dark Elves *Torog, God of Torture *Vecna, God of the Undead *Zehir, God of Poison *Bane, God of War and Murder *Tiamat, Goddess of Greed and Envy *Maglubiyet, Lord of Orcs *Tharizdun, Creator of the Abyss *Khala, Goddess of the Frost The Karjun Covenant The Way of Ashen Flame Crystlinoqan The Six Cults of the Dark Sea Winter's Hold Enclaves Worshipers and forms of worship Humans are generally the only communities to worship the entire pantheon, though some groups of the other races may as well, and any group of humans may put some gods above the rest. In rural areas, for example, farmers pray most fervently to Pelor for good weather to allow a good harvest, while denizens of the cities hold Erathis as their guide before all others. Craftsmen pay homage to Moradin, and scholars to Ioun, and some dark sects, hidden away in secret sanctums, prostrate themselves to the Gods of Chaos. In some places, sects of The Remembrance have arisen, honoring the memory of the dead gods. In many other places, smaller pantheons have arisen, sometimes rearranging the roles of the gods. Often, the deities play vital roles in the workings of nations themselves. The empires of central Rohltwen, for example, all claim a divine lineage and right to rule, often coupling that with orders of The Eleven. The Dwarf Kingdoms, in their stalwart halls belowground, decree only Moradin, the world's and their own creator, as worthy of their worship. Because of this, Moradinic orders, temples and artisan work flourish all throughout their keeps and halls, far more than any other place on Deandi. This fervor sometimes means the other gods are not even acknowledged at all, though the tenets of honorable battle given by Kord resonate with many of their warriors. The surface dwelling clans tend to defer some rites to other gods, but this is more out of necessity than any desire to admit their right as a deity. The Elves, by contrast, recognize the existence of other gods, and may respect them, but look only to their own family of Gods for salvation. Their religion, as with their culture, is defined by duality, reflecting the partnership of Corellon and Sehanine. Corellon, as god of magic, is held highest by the High Elves in the feywild and the few cities deep in the oldest Elven Woods on the material plane. Their daughter, Melora, Goddess of Nature, is patron of the Wood Elves who left the Feywild long ago to live solely in the physical world, and the self-identifying groups to split from them are likely to still hold her in high regard. The Dark Elves, or drow, however, swear themselves only to the service of Lolth, the Queen of Spiders, in their subterranean empire in the Deeps of the Underdark. Halflings, small as they are, trust often in luck, and in its goddess, Avandra, for their survival. Many of those who take to the trails she first walked also pay her homage, and roadside shrines to her are very common. The other major race of Deandi, the Dragonborn, remain very mystery in their worship. Their relationship with the Dragon gods is unknown but seems important to their society, while worship of Pelor has also been mentioned many times. Magic and Technology Deandi is a vast world that has lasted for ages. Time has not treated all realms equally however: the understanding and use of both technology and magic varies from region to region greatly. Magic stuff, mana, blablablah Magitek Elven stuff, shiny shiny Steampunk tech, Dwarf rules Geography A brief synopsis of the regions and locations on the world of Deandi. The main continent of the world is Rohltwen. Its southern shores are a mix of arid regions and swampy marshes, both of which contain a few shoddy villages spread miles and miles apart. A handful of larger city states exist, surviving off fishing and trade with the southern continent of Arpigee's Calishite nations, as well as occasional dealings with pirates. The most prominent feature of the region is the Endless Swamp, which also serves as a marker of the region's northern edge. As one travels further north, the swamps and badlands give way to temperate plains and rolling hills, eventually leading into the Midland Regions. It is here that almost all the former empires of humanity have all established themselves, most recently the Eternal Empire and the rising Midland Kingdom of Lochlan. On the southernmost edge of the prairies though lies the smaller Sarranid Caliphate, with the Ecalian Federation existing as a loose alliance of small states to its north. Along the coasts to the east lie a series of independent city states thriving off trade and war profiteering, and further to the north is the Midland Kingdom of Lochlan itself. Beyond Lochlan, the world begins to grow colder and more mountainous. It is in these regions that the final vestiges of the Moonstone Kingdom reside, as well as the imperial remnants from the Eternal Empire. This region is also infested with Giants as well as Goblins, and also houses the oft-forgotten Clan Icebreaker of the Dwarves. Past these realms few dare travel, as the freezing cold becomes too much to bear, and legends of paranormal ice beasts ward off many in fear. To the east of the midland regions lie vast forests that hold the Great Beat Mountains, a blockade bisected by the World's Scar, a vast, treacherous canyon like no other in the known world. Those who manage past it eventually reach a tropical jungle region along the eastern shores of Rohltwen. Here the Osmuli people reside in largely self-contained cities, save for the greater powers of the Harbor Theocracy and the isolationist Yarva Technocracy. This region is also home to many of the stranger lesser races, as well as colonies of magic-wielding Onis and Kitsune. West of Lochlan, the world is split by the Serrated Mountains, towering peaks unmatched anywhere else on the planet. These are the homes of the Dwarves. On the far side - usually reached via trade ships due to Dwarves possessive nature over the mountains and their halls - the land becomes fertile plains with beautiful deltas near the coast. Eventually this shifts into a vast network of peninsulas, archipelagos and islands on the eastern coast where humans are ruled by monastic orders. Beyond Rohltwen itself, there is also the continent of Arpigee. Mostly deserts and savannas, mountains and plateaus in the south form an area not unlike Lochlan in the mountains. It is here that the Calishite Arbiter rules over his people, maintaining power throughout the entire continent via his warrior priests, the Azure Wind. Additionally, numerous islands exist within the oceans surrounding these two continents, including the Leiandrian Archipelago's powerful naval nation to the southwest of the Rohltwen. The Leiand navy is stronger than any other, and the only force known to match the southern pirates. There are also rumors of a third continent far to the west of Rohltwen, as well as a supposed lost continent to the southeast and the Wandering Isle of the northeast, but there is no proof for now. The Thieves' Harbor Militia *Caellach (Chaotic Neutral) *Hrothgar (Neutral Good) *Derundar (Chaotic Good) *Auryn (Chaotic Neutral) *Roz (Lawful Good) **Roz's dad (Emmitt?) (Lawful Good) *Marissa (True Neutral) *Lyssa (True Neutral) *Elgast (Chaotic Good) *Bassadin (Neutral Good) (Left Party)